"A Gospel that doesn't unsettle, a Word of God that doesn't get under anyone's skin, a Word of God doesn't touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed, what Gospel is that?" - Oscar Romero

The end of December 2014 brought a congratulatory word from the President of Luther Seminary. She informed me that she had recommended my name to the Board (which they voted on and approved), and that my journey as Director of Contextual Learning would begin on January 1 2015.

For January, I would like to share a short prayer in memory of transgender teen, Leelah Alcorn. This prayer was developed by Luther alumnus, Asher O'Callaghan, as part of the liturgy at House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, CO.

Leelah Alcorn was born in 1997 and given the name "Joshua." Throughout her adolescence, Leelah Alcorn felt that her female gender identity was not welcomed by her parents or faith community. In her last post to her Tumblr, Leelah wrote:

I have pictures of myself from the 1970s wearing a leisure suit. It was, as I recall, burnt orange in color. I had a colorful floral print polyester shirt to go with it and a really natty wide white belt and white shoes and classy looking very long sideburns. At the time I thought I looked great. Forty years later I look back and am appalled. (If you haven’t had that experience yet, be patient. You will. I have one word for you: Tattoos.)

Interns: As a friendly reminder, do not forget about your midpoint evaluations and other deliverables! You may find a complete list, with deadlines, on our Forms Timeline page. Click here to review our expectations.

Also, are you on a concurrent internship? Don't forget to touch base with Contextual Learning to share your schedule and participate in our upcoming calls with our new director, Tim Coltvet.

Last but not least, are you preparing for internship next year? Don't forget to register for …

CPL Students: As a friendly reminder, there are no typical syllabi or class meeting times for this course. Your work will be done off-campus. However, we do have expectations and anticipated outcomes for this course.

Are you planning for CPE in Fall 2015? Try to submit your applications early and often! Applying by Easter 2015 to multiple locations is optimal. If you are planning for CPE in Summer 2015, spots are running out. Please apply right away to ensure a possible placement.

Please contact Contextual Learning with any questions you may have about the available sites or application process. We're happy to help you with your questions!

Also, if you have been accepted to a program, don't forget to notify …

Are you interested in urban, multicultural, and faith-based social justice immersion? For the Spring 2015 semester, we are excited to reveal our next two Pray and Break Bread trips: Twin Cities LGBTQIA Advocacy Day and Twin Cities Housing Justice Day!

Last semester, Pray and Break Bread took Luther students, faculty, and staff on two exciting urban immersion trips. Our first trip was to explore Minneapolis' local Muslim, Jewish, and Christian faith communities by visiting Masjid An-Nur, Sabes Jewish …

Are you interested in a SCUPE course? Please review these updated offerings. For more information, please check out: http://www.scupe.com/. You may also contact the Registrar for help on signing up for these programs.

SCUPE M 305: Dimensions and Dynamics of Urban Ministry

Organized as a sequence of city-wide experiential learning opportunities, the course introduces students to congregations and faith-based organizations that bring good news through prophetic ministry. Students have the opportunity …

Contextual Learning is now hiring a new student worker position: Office Assistant for Contextual Learning! The purpose of this position is the assist Contextual Learning with general office responsibilities, primarily in the areas of office administration and hospitality.

Early in my call as a Christian public leader, I was given some guidelines for public speech. Unlike my Homiletics course (which was ripe with theological and ecclesial background and frameworks), these guidelines came from more of a "technique" angle. Now, I don’t know that I have ever hit on all cylinders with respect to technique! But I do think that these precepts have kept me honest when preparing everything from a sermon to an annual meeting address to teaching Confirmation. Here they …